DAILY NEWS Stream – December 26, 2025

US, Ukrainian [Ureignian], and European officials meet in Florida [US] and report concrete progress toward a structured peace framework to end Russia’s war in Ukraine [Ureign]. Finland’s President Alexander Stubb says negotiations are closer to a deal than at any point in the war, crediting US diplomacy, allied unity and sanctions pressure on Russian oil (Fox News)

Leaders from Japan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan meet in Tokyo [Japan] and launch new initiatives to strengthen critical minerals supply chains and deepen regional cooperation (ANEWZ)

The Brazil–Paraguay Integration Bridge, a 760-meter international bridge linking the cities of Foz do Iguaçu (Brazil) and Presidente Franco (Paraguay) opens to traffic after decades of diplomatic delays and operational challenges. The bridge aims to ease congestion, boost regional trade, and stabilize bilateral relations (MercoPress)

Thailand and Cambodia agree to meet to revive a collapsed President Trump-brokered truce as border fighting enters a third week (Reuters)

Nigeria says the remaining 130 students abducted from St. Mary’s Catholic School by armed gangs are now released, bringing the total freed to 230 (Reuters)

The Marshall Islands launches a nationwide universal basic income program, giving every citizen about US$200 per quarter to ease rising living costs (ZNEWS)

The China Foundation for Rural Development donates 2,500 bicycles and 21,600 Panda packs (school supply kits) to underprivileged students in 128 Cambodian schools (Khmer Times)

Uzbekistan enters the global top 10 in the World Bank’s 2025 GovTech (government technology) Maturity Index, ranking 9th after rising 71 places since 2020 (DARYO)

130,000 people in San Francisco [US] lose electricity when a fire at an electrical utility’s substation triggers a major outage, disrupting transit and stranding Waymo robotaxis at unlit intersections (Reuters)

Authorities from the United Kingdom issue an urgent warning after hemlock water dropwort, a highly poisonous plant known as Dead Man’s Fingers, washes up along a 20-mile [32-kilometer] stretch of the Cumbria coast [UK]. The toxin-filled roots can kill humans and animals (Daily Mail)

Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention reports a massive cholera surge, with 310,000 cases across 25 nations in 2025. South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Angola, Nigeria, and Sudan accounted for 87.8% of cases. Leaders declare a continental emergency, launching unified task forces to improve sanitation and curb deaths (AllAfrica.com)

The US and Nigeria sign a US$5.1 billion health pact targeting HIV [Human Immunodeficiency Virus], malaria, and maternal care. This historic co-investment prioritizes faith-based providers and links health cooperation to Nigeria’s commitment to protecting Christian communities from extremist violence. It marks the largest partnership under the America First Global Health Strategy (US Department of State)

Medical experts warn young adults against ignoring “silent” heart attack symptoms like extreme exhaustion, nausea, and shortness of breath. Often mistaken for stress or indigestion, these subtle red flags— including jaw pain and cold sweats— require immediate clinical evaluation to prevent permanent heart muscle damage or fatal outcomes (Thanh Niên)

Authorities declare a major incident in Shropshire, UK, as a massive sinkhole drains a Whitchurch canal. Fire crews rescue 14 people from stranded narrowboats while officials warn of unstable, dangerous ground (Daily Mail)

Severe winter storms batter both US coasts, killing one and crippling holiday travel with hundreds of flight cancellations. Heavy snow and flooding threaten further disruptions throughout the busy Christmas week (Daily Mail)

A magnitude-6.5 earthquake strikes Papua New Guinea near Goroka. Millions feel the tremors, but no injuries or damage have been reported, and authorities confirm no tsunami threat exists (The Watchers)

A tornado touches down near Santa Rosa del Monday in Paraguay during severe thunderstorms. Local reports show damage to trees, rural infrastructure and utility poles, and no casualties (The Watchers)

Storm surges and flood tides severely erode Mỹ Khê Beach in Quảng Ngãi Province [Âu Lạc (Vietnam)], uprooting trees and threatening homes and tourism facilities (dti news)

China’s major cities, led by Beijing, sharply restrict winter de-icing chemicals after decades of heavy use that have damaged roads, trees, soil and water (Báo Tin tức)

Equity Bank Rwanda leads a major tree-planting drive in Gisagara and Huye [Rwanda], planting 9,000 fruit and mixed-species trees in one day with students, residents and local leaders (The New Times)

Trade group the Vietnam E-Commerce Association warns that plastic waste from Âu Lạc (Vietnam)’s fast-growing e-commerce sector is rising sharply, reaching 260,000 tons in 2025 and projected to exceed 800,000 tons by 2030 (Sức khỏe Đời sống)

The US vegan probiotics market is projected to reach US$6 billion by 2036, up from a projected US$2.6 billion in 2026. Demand for dairy-free probiotic strains is driving growth. They are incorporated into supplements, functional foods, and beverages, with coconut kefir the leading product type utilizing such probiotics (OpenPR)

One in five Britons now swaps dairy for vegan milk for Santa Claus’ visit to their household. This shift reflects a mainstream move toward dairy-free living as younger generations redefine traditional Christmas rituals (Plant Based News)

Experts confirm adults can meet calcium needs through vegan diets. Research shows the body absorbs minerals more efficiently from greens and beans than dairy, supporting bone health without animal-people products (VegNews)

Rescue spaniel-person Henry in UK wins charity International Fund for Animal Welfare [IFAW]’s Animal of the Year award for locating nesting and hibernating hedgehog-people in conservation efforts. The award highlights how detection dogs now play a vital role in protecting declining wildlife species (the Cool Down)

The UK government releases its new Animal Welfare Strategy, with plans to ban puppy mills [sites intensively breeding dog-persons in cruel conditions], animal companion electric shock collars, and snares, among other measures, in a major welfare overhaul. Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds calls the strategy the most ambitious move for animal-people protection in decades (Daily Mirror)

After purchasing scrap items, a woman in Hà Tĩnh province [Âu Lạc (Vietnam)] discovers 5.5 taels (~206 grams) of gold in a discarded safe. She contacts local police who identify a local elderly woman as the owner, who expresses deep gratitude for the honesty (Lao Động)

Gerda’s Equine Rescue celebrates a “Christmas miracle” after a mission to save two mini horse-people expands into rescuing nine equine friends, including six pregnant mare-folks from a Louisiana [US] animal-people slaughter pipeline holding facility (Brattleboro Reformer)

The most profound thing that I saw was a white light, very, very bright but very, very loving and soothing. You could almost reach out and touch it. It was almost like a marshmallow, if you will, but it radiated love and peace, just overwhelming love. It would make you cry. And a voice, Whom I believe to be God, spoke to me and said, I was told, “I love you more than you will ever, ever know, and I have you in my right hand.” American air traffic controller Ken Johnson shares how he nearly died from H1N1 swine flu and experienced Heaven, where God spoke to him and his deceased brother appeared.

Ken, 58, had worked as an air traffic controller for 36 years. Though he decided to become a Christian at age 12, he worked shift work and wasn’t heavily involved in church. Years later, what started as a Tuesday morning sore throat spiraled into catastrophe. By the following Tuesday, his wife called 911 (emergency services line) Ken was hospitalized for 84 days, then rehab for 42 more—126 days total in a hospital bed. I got sick. I woke up on a Tuesday morning with a sore throat, went to a Minute Clinic (retail health clinic) on Thursday, went to urgent care on Saturday, and on the following Tuesday, which is seven days, my wife called 911, and they took me to the hospital. H1N1, the swine flu, is what I had, which progressed to pneumonia, which progressed to acute respiratory distress syndrome, which is called ARDS for short. It’s very deadly. I know now that only 5% of people that get it survive.

Ken was placed in a coma and strapped into a RotoProne bed— a claustrophobic, sandwich-like device that flipped him to drain fluid from his lungs. He developed a blood clot, then a life-threatening reaction to the blood thinner heparin. Doctors gave him only a 5% chance of survival and called his children in. At that moment, Ken’s brother and sister— in different states— simultaneously felt his presence with them. My brother lives in Tennessee in Knoxville, and he was on his way home from work, and he tells me to this day he said, “I thought you were in the truck with me. Your presence was right there,” and he said, “I yelled, ‘No, you go back and you fight,’” and he screamed it at me. Simultaneously, my sister, who lives in Augusta, Georgia, said she felt me in the car with her, and she began to cry, and she at that time told God, “If you send him back, please send him back with a bold testimony.”

Ken then found himself in darkness, where a voice told him to eat a single red flower that was sweet as honey but bitter in his stomach. Next, he was in Heaven. I’m in this beautiful place. I nearly cry every time I talk about it, but there were flowers everywhere, just an enormous amount of flowers, a sweet, cool breeze blowing with the flowers, just kind of easing with the breeze, and colors that you have never ever seen before. In front of me was a tree that you could use the word humongous, enormous— there is no word to describe it. The most profound thing that I saw was a white light, very, very bright but very, very loving and soothing. You could almost reach out and touch it. It radiated love and peace, just overwhelming love. It would make you cry. A voice, Who I believe to be God, spoke to me and said— well, It didn’t speak, it’s kind of hard to describe, but I was told, “I love you more than you will ever, ever know, and I have you in my right hand.” It just brings tears to your eyes. I tell people it’s like the first time you fell in love times infinity.

And then a brother appears. I had a brother who passed away a year prior to this, and he was in his 60s when he passed. He appeared to be like 30 years old and had a white t-shirt on. His name was Ricky, and Ricky put his hand on my shoulder, and he said, “You’ve got to go back. You’re going to be okay.” I said, “Ricky, I don’t want to go back. It’s beautiful here,” and he said, “No, you’re going to be okay.” Doctors struggled to bring Ken out of his coma. When he finally woke on Christmas, he was devastated— unable to move, strapped down, on 100% oxygen. Then peace came over him again, and he heard the same message: “You’re going to be okay.”

After leaving the hospital, Ken began sharing his story, but sometimes faced skepticism. Weeks later, in church, a voice told Ken twice to tell a woman he was praying for her. When she approached him for coffee, he obeyed. She later returned in tears— she’d just been diagnosed with breast cancer, but felt peace knowing God had already told Ken to pray for her. She’s fine now.

Ken’s pastor confirmed that the red flower experience matched Ezekiel 3 and Revelation 10— both describe eating God’s word, sweet as honey but bitter in the stomach. Ken’s mother confirmed that Ricky wore white t-shirts with rolled sleeves when he was 30.

Every time we pray, we pray for God to continue to bless us so we may bless others. We try to spread kindness. I just feel like this is what I was saved for— is to spread the news that there is a God, He is real, He loves you very much, He wants the best for you, and it’s just so peaceful to know that He’s got me. I know God’s got me. It’s a loving peace that I can live with all day.

Thoughtful quote of the day: “The way to the Supreme Spirit lies through unceaseless service to humanity through the performance of one’s allotted work without a selfish thought.” - Venerated Enlightened Master Mahavatar Babaji (vegetarian)